First of all, I didn’t know that Wikipedia was only launched in 2001. Somehow it seems older than that. Secondly, I will be the first to admit that I am ‘one of those’ who considered it a completely unreliable source. In school I remember having to avoid wikipedia like the plague.. And once that was ingrained in my head, I never turned back. In my tertiary education especially, there was such a heavy and relentless emphasis on only referring to peer-reviewed literature. Unfortunately, clicking the little box for ‘only peer-reviewed journal articles’ in search engines was probably the extent of teaching us critical literacy skills. Well actually that’s not true.. The case is that most of my assignments back then (I did my bachelors degree in psychology) required the critical analysis of specific theories, so it was important for us to pull only ‘reliable’ journal articles about studies relevant to the topic at hand. So in a way, the source/pool of information was pre-determined already.
Anyway! Since wikipedia had taken a backseat in the deepest corner in my brain, I thought it was really interesting listening to my fellow classmates talk about (rave about) their wikipedia uses and experiences (I had such little faith in wikipedia that I didn’t even realise that it would in fact be a good starting point for research).
On top of that, Ive always favoured the teaching and learning perspective of social constructivism, but I never made the connection of wikipedia as a stage for collective intelligence.. Quite foolish, I know. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn about 'simple english wikipedia' for primary school children.
Speaking of a primary school setting, I can definitely see the value of creating class wikis for collaborative learning, allowing for group work and having the children build their knowledge. The trick I see right now is teaching the necessary skills to evaluate and verify the information they come across. Surely it’s not too early to teach critical literacy skills?
March 29, 2010
March 15, 2010
Blogs in education
According to the quick tour/set up guide on the blogger hosting service, a blog is 'a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.'
Focusing on the personal diary definition (within a primary education context), blogging = reflecting. In these compulsory years, there is a huge emphasis on writing as a literacy aspect. In my experience as a pre-service teacher on my first prac in a year 2/3 classroom, diary-writing was encouraged. In class, the students had diary-writing once a week. Granted, the kids wrote their entries by hand and later read them aloud to the class. Obviously, their handwriting skills and oral presentation skills are developed in doing so.
However, I do think reflecting through blogging would also be a good activity. There would be more opportunities for comments and feedback from fellow classmates, as opposed to giving responses verbally after a student reads their account/recount. In this regard, blogging then creates an interactive platform for students, teachers and family members as well. It provides a more 'collaborative space' for thinking and learning. And of course the availability and accessibility of blogging software makes the process of sharing and collaborating all the more easier.
Focusing on the personal diary definition (within a primary education context), blogging = reflecting. In these compulsory years, there is a huge emphasis on writing as a literacy aspect. In my experience as a pre-service teacher on my first prac in a year 2/3 classroom, diary-writing was encouraged. In class, the students had diary-writing once a week. Granted, the kids wrote their entries by hand and later read them aloud to the class. Obviously, their handwriting skills and oral presentation skills are developed in doing so.
However, I do think reflecting through blogging would also be a good activity. There would be more opportunities for comments and feedback from fellow classmates, as opposed to giving responses verbally after a student reads their account/recount. In this regard, blogging then creates an interactive platform for students, teachers and family members as well. It provides a more 'collaborative space' for thinking and learning. And of course the availability and accessibility of blogging software makes the process of sharing and collaborating all the more easier.
hey, hi and hello.
Well, well, well.. So here we are.
I never thought I would enter the blogging word. I've always considered myself more of an observer, a listener. And let's face it, I'm only one out of billions crowding the world (literally and electronically). But alas, I am 'connected'. The digital push has come to shove. Like I said, I'm not much of a speaker. They say silence is golden, but shouting is fun. Bear with me as I find my 'voice'. Who knows, I may end up having fun.
I never thought I would enter the blogging word. I've always considered myself more of an observer, a listener. And let's face it, I'm only one out of billions crowding the world (literally and electronically). But alas, I am 'connected'. The digital push has come to shove. Like I said, I'm not much of a speaker. They say silence is golden, but shouting is fun. Bear with me as I find my 'voice'. Who knows, I may end up having fun.
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